


Let Me Be Your Shelter

by blackrose_17



Series: Home is Where You Are [1]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Broken Ianto, Depressed Ianto, F/M, M/M, Post-Episode: s01e04 Cyberwoman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 04:16:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9862100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackrose_17/pseuds/blackrose_17
Summary: Ianto is broken, Tosh knows this and refuses to let him fall. She knows that Ianto needs a friend and Jack is perfect for that role.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the picfor1000 over on livejournal where you have to write a story for 1000 words no more, no less.

Ianto Jones was broken; he would be the first one to admit it. He had been broken since before the fall of Torchwood One it just took Lisa’s death for the others to finally notice, him and the broken shell he had wrapped around him as a cloak.

 _‘Lisa.’_ It still hurt as if his heart had been ripped out of his chest and the pain had not receded. Ianto knew deep within him that would be expecting a miracle after all it had only been two weeks since his world came crashing down around him and he had watched helplessly as those he worked with gun down the woman he had loved.

Two weeks into his one-month suspension and he found himself walking along the shoreline. He had a month to decide if he wishes to return to the place where he was left in the shadows and unforgotten by those he worked with on daily basis. He wasn’t sure if he was ready or willingly to return to a place where he was ignored before and now would be hated and distrusted where he would once again fade into the background until something as simple as a coffee was needed.

“What is there that awaits me there? Besides more heartache and an even bigger reminder of how I don’t fit in there,” Ianto muttered under his breath as he looked out into the water.

* * *

 

Jack Harkness wondered what he was doing here. Why he hadn't said no thanks to Tosh when she handed him the info of where Ianto had been going for the last week.

_"Why are you giving me this?" Jack asked as he stared at the piece of folder paper on his desk that Tosh had placed before him._

_"It's where Ianto has been going every morning and staying until late afternoon sometimes into the evenings. Someone needs to talk to him. We were wrong in our treatment of him. We pushed him away; we didn't reach out to him to join us when we went out. The day the Cyberwoman appeared we left him behind, not one of us stopped to ask him to come with us. You tossed him the basketball on our way out. He faded into the shadows because not one of us stopped his slide; we sat by and did nothing." Guilt weighed heavily on Tosh; she wished she had spoken up instead of staying silent when she saw Ianto fading away forgotten."_

_Jack didn't want to admit it but Tosh had a point but it was her next words that had him gripping the piece of paper tighter in his hands._

_"We failed him Jack and it's time we make amends for shoving him away from us just because of where he came from. We didn't see that he might have been crying out for help do you really want to do nothing if this... if we are what finally break him?"_

_"Do you think he will want our help?" Jack found himself asking almost afraid of her answer._

_"We can only try. And if he pushes us away we refuse to leave." Tosh wasn't going to back away from Ianto not this time and she was happy to see that Jack wasn't either._

Jack was afraid; he didn't know how Ianto would greet him once he noticed his arrival. Tosh was right they had failed Ianto, it didn't give him the right to hide the Cyberwoman but he should have felt like he was more of the team.

_"One month. You are suspended for one month. Get out of my sight I don't want to see you again before that month is up." Jack had barely been able to look Ianto in the eyes as he laid out his punishment his rage, his anger was still too fresh to look Ianto in the eyes._

Tosh was right they had missed Ianto's suffering now Jack only hoped that it wasn't too late. "You won't get anything accomplished sitting here."

 

* * *

 

"I was wondering when you were going to get out of the SUV." Ianto murmured the moment he felt Jack's shadow, he had spotted the SUV arriving nearly ten minutes earlier and was wonder why Jack would approach him. He wasn't sure how he felt about this he wasn't ready to deal with anyone let alone Jack. "What do you want Jack?" Ianto asked after a moment when the other man said nothing.

Letting out a breath Jack sat down beside Ianto. “How are you Ianto?” The moment those words left Jack’s mouth he wanted to curse for asking such a stupid question, it was clear to anyone that Ianto wasn’t doing well.

“Wondering why I’m still breathing when it would be so much easier to join Lisa in death.” Ianto didn’t see the point in lying he was done hiding how he was feeling to those who treated Weevils better than him.

Jack’s heart broke at the pain in Ianto’s voice. _‘You helped to drive him to this.’_ “Death is not the answer Ianto.” Jack couldn’t lose Ianto not now.

“Neither is living.” Ianto shot back as he turned to glare at Jack. “What kind of life is it when your co-workers ignore you or belittle you because of where you worked? I lost everything when Torchwood One fell and not one of you gave a damn.”

“I know. We let you down Ianto, we failed you and that will haunt me for a very long time. But that is why you should keep fighting to show us how wrong we were to treat you the way we did. If you need a reason to live, live for that.” Jack pleaded the last thing he wanted was for Ianto to throw his life away.

“It’s so tough.” Ianto admitted with a choke sob.

Giving in Jack wrapped an arm around Ianto. “I know and if you let me I will do my best to help you along the way.”


End file.
